How Quickly Can You Catch Head Lice?

The most effective way to prevent the spread of head lice is to keep your personal items clean. This includes towels, hats, and coats. Also, it is important to treat other household members who come into contact with a person who has lice. Avoid head-to-head contact – it is extremely dangerous for lice to live and grow in such close contact. Also, make sure your child does not share their stuffed animals or hats with others. In addition, make sure that all items that your child has touched should be washed and dried on a hot cycle, and put in a plastic bag. Using hot water on hairbrushes is also a good way to kill lice.

To identify head lice, look for the presence of live lice or eggs. Generally, lice are visible when their eggs hatch within five to twelve days. When this happens, the adult louse will climb on the hair and lay up to 10 nits per day. It will take up to 9 days for the eggs to hatch, so if you’re unsure, you should visit your doctor as soon as possible.

The best way to prevent head lice is to wash your hair regularly. Avoid personal items that come in contact with your hair, and don’t use personal items from a person with head lice. Ideally, you should wash all of your personal items, even your toothbrush and hairbrushes, since lice can survive for two days on an infected person’s head.